Do you read science fiction? What is science fiction, anyway? And why am I writing a post about science fiction?
Well, our friends at Global English Editing have developed an infographic about the best 16 science fiction books of all time in honor of National Science Day, which was on January 2. Well, we missed National Science Day, but it is still January. I will provide the link to their infographic later in this post.
I was surprised to see that I had read at least 5 of their top 16 science fiction books. When I think of science fiction, I think of Isaac Asmov”s books, which I do remember reading as a kid — and of course Dune, which is the most popular sci fi book of all time. And I read that one.
There is a little fuzziness around what constitutes science fiction. First, there is hard science fiction versus soft science fiction. Hard science fiction deals with real science and scientific facts. Not being a science person, those books are difficult for me to read. I know this only because I recently tried to read one, written by a friend of mine, and I got totally lost. Soft science fiction books deal more with social and philosophical issues. Some of those books, I wouldn’t really consider sci fi, but some people do.
Science fiction is NOT fantasy, which is a really popular genre right now, especially for young adult books. Sci fi deals more with real life and society as it is, although it does talk about time travel, the future, and aliens. Fantasy more often takes place in an entirely different world.
I would think that dystopian novels belong to a different genre than science fiction, but some of them are included in various science fiction lists. For example, Orwell’s 1984 is included on most science fiction lists. I would not have thought of 1984 if you asked me to think about science fiction, although I love the book. I even saw The Handmaid’s Tale on one sci fi list.
I don’t remember any of Vonnegut’s books, although I loved them all and read them when everyone was reading Vonnegut. But I wouldn’t put those in the sci fi category either, although some of them are included in sci fi lists.
But I have read and enjoyed (if you can call it enjoyed) 1984, Fahrenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, Hunger Games, and Vonnegut. Would I call them sci fi? If you asked me about reading sci fi, I would say, “Yes, I read sci fi when I was a kid: Dune, Asimov books, and of course L. Ron Hubbard’s Dianetics, which I guess is not considered one of his science fiction books.
More recently, I read The Martian and A Wrinkle in Time (because I had never read it).
I wouldn’t think to put apocalyptic books in the science fiction category either, but it makes sense that they are. I guess when I think of science fiction, I think of aliens!
So, now I will ask you again. Do you read science fiction? I have read more than I thought. Here are the books that appear on most of the lists of bet science fiction books:
- 1984 – Orwell *
- World War Z – Brooks
- Brave New World – Huxley *
- A Canticle for Leibowitz – Miller
- The Martin – Weir *
- Dune – Herbert *
- Foundation – Asimov
- Frankenstein – Shelley
- Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Adams
- Jurassic Park – Crichton
- The Martian Chronicles – Bradbury
- Watchers – Koontz
- Slaughterhouse-Five – Vonnegut *
- The Stand – King
- Ender’s Game – Card
- Stranger in a Strange Land – Heinlein *
- The War of the Worlds – Wells
- 2001: A Space Odyssey – Clarke
- A Wrinkle in Time – L’Engle *
- The Hunger Games – Collins *
- Journey to the Center of the Earth – Verne
- The Time Machine – Wells
- I, Robot – Asimov
- Ringworld – Niven
I put an asterisk next to the ones I KNOW I have read, but it is hard to believe I haven’t read Frankenstein or something by Verne or Wells. And I saw the movies 2001 and Jurassic Park, but I don’t remember if I read the books.
Some lists contain these other titles, which I have read: A Clockwork Orange, Contact (Sagan), Cat’s Cradle , and Ready Player One. One list even had these books, which I have read, and are either more fantastical or dystopic: Lord of the Rings, Animal Farm, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Giver.
I didn’t think I liked science fiction, but I guess maybe I do — but the soft kind. In fact, writing this post made me want to go read some of the ones I haven’t read, or maybe have just forgotten that I have read. But I already have a whole pile of books to read before they are due at the library!
I’m happy you posted this this week, Arlene. The funny thing is I’ve recently been thinking of rereading Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, (which I loved,) and his Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Will read them again as soon as I finish a collection from P.G. Wodehouse. (Definitely not sci fi, but fun!)
Thanks for the comment. I posted it on recommendation of the Proofreading group that provides the infographics. It was a good idea! Now I want to read more science fiction. I don’t remember if I read Verne….if I did it was a very long time ago. I have not read Wodehouse. Should I add it to my list. This week on social media and on the Saturday blog post, I will be asking for your favorite or least favorite books – so send me an e-mail about that for a future blog post!
Thanks for the link and the list. I’m with you–I really enjoy “soft” sci fi that’s more about character and story than battles with aliens. And I’ve read a good number of the books on the list, too. Some are among my all-time favorites, like Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and A Wrinkle in Time.
Thank you for the comment. I think the most recent science fiction books I read are The Martian and Ready Player One, without realizing I was reading science fiction – I read them because they were bestsellers, and I heard they were good. I liked them both. Now I want to read more science fiction that is on the list and that people have recommended. So many books, so little time! I know I had The Hitchhiker’s Guide, but I don’t think I got through much of it. I read A Wrinkle in Time because when I was teaching 7th grade, everyone else had read it!
I think “Frankenstein” was one of the first, or maybe the first, science fiction story that we know about. I highly recommend it. It’s very thought-provoking, alarming, and very sad.
It’s funny to me that you think of aliens when you think of sci-fi. I think of horror when I think of aliens. (Maybe because one of my favorite movies is “Alien.”)
I think “Star Trek” for science fiction and “Star Wars” for fantasy. We’ve certainly seen much of the fiction in Star Trek become reality. In general, I preferred science fiction stories when I was younger.
But because I started reading the Star Wars novelizations and original books after seeing the movie “Revenge of the Sith,” I was introduced to a world of fantasy writers. This led me to Orson Scott Card and “Ender’s Game.”
That got me to read Tolkien – work I tried but didn’t like when I was young. Goes to show how my tastes have changed and expanded.
Thanks for the great reply! I guess the lines around the genre of science fiction are a little fuzzy. I can see that Frankenstein would be sci fi, but could also be horror as well as Aliens. I also think of spaceships and time travel when I think of sci fi = and generally the authors I read when I was a kid like Asimov and Bradbury.I see your distinction between Star Trek and Star Wars. I guess Star Trek is one of those hard science fictions.I never read Ender’s Game, but I know my son had the book, probably for English class in junior high or early high school. When I taught English, I tauht the books Clockwork Orange, 1974, and Animal Farm, but always considered them dystopic rather than science fiction.
I read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy decades ago. I loved them, but I don’t think I could get through them now!
We just watched the movie Contact again after many years, and I think it represents the best of science fiction. Human stories, engrossing characters, personal development. Illustrates issues we face: the tough road faced by women scientists. Explores a perennial philosophical issue: science vs. God and faith. Based on real science: radio astronomy, SETI, how they deciphered the alien message. Plausible impossibility: the wormhole travel. Uplifting, happy ending.
I write science fiction (galaxytalltales.com) and these are the things I strive for. In my understanding, the major difference between “hard” and “soft” sci fi is the amount of impossible physics in the story. And the difference between fantasy and sci fi is this: fantasy has magic that doesn’t need to be explained, and sci fi has impossibilities that need to be plausible. Magicians and dragons vs. aliens and star travel.
Thanks for the comments! If you write sci fi and have a science background, might I recommnend the hard sci fi book written by my friend from Redwood Writers: Children of the Stars by Arte White.